This week, our Grade 4 students took a deep dive into how our energy choices affect the world around us. Through engaging stories, lively debate, and meaningful roleplay, students were challenged to think critically about the environment, energy use, and personal responsibility.

Inquiry (Energy sources and transformation)

The Lorax – Learning Through Storytelling

We began the week by reading the book The Lorax and watching the animated film version. This timeless story helped students understand what can happen when people prioritize profit over nature. We explored the consequences of deforestation, pollution, and using harmful energy sources. Students discussed what the character of the Once-ler could have done differently and reflected on how the Lorax tried to protect the environment.

Renewable Energy Debate

Midweek, the class split into two teams to debate: Renewable Energy (like solar and wind) versus Non-Renewable Energy (like coal and oil). Each student took a role and prepared arguments. This debate allowed students to apply facts they’ve learned about energy types while practicing communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. Seeing them using persuasive language and listening to one another’s ideas was fantastic.

Roleplay: Needs vs. Waste

To close the week, we held a roleplay session focused on the moral question of energy use: What do we need, and what is just waste? Students received different real-life scenarios—families deciding on heating choices, companies trying to reduce energy bills, or communities dealing with limited resources. They acted out their scenes and had thoughtful group discussions afterward. This activity helped students reflect on how daily decisions—big and small—can make a difference in protecting our planet.

English (Storytelling)

This week in our English lessons, the students had a fun and engaging time exploring grammar and writing through creative storytelling.

We started the week with a lively Mad Libs session, where students paired up to create silly stories by filling in blanks with their own nouns, adjectives, and verbs. It was a great way to warm up our grammar brains, get creative, and share some laughs.

From there, we continued working on our narrative writing connected to our current inquiry on energy. Students began planning their own adventure stories using a story mountain to organize their ideas. Each story map included a beginning, build-up, problem, resolution, and ending, all tied to an energy-related challenge or transformation.

As we moved into writing, we focused on:

• Writing the beginning: Students introduced their character and setting, with a hint of the energy-related problem. We discussed how a strong beginning tells us who, where, and what is happening. Our grammar focus here was capital letters, full stops, and writing clear sentences.
• Writing the middle: Students developed the conflict or challenge their character faced.
• Writing the ending: Students worked on resolving their story and showing what the character learned or how the energy solution worked. We talked about how to write a conclusion that wraps up the story clearly and with emotion.

Some students were able to finish drafting their stories, while others were still working through their writing. We want all students to feel confident and proud of their work, so we’ll continue focusing on finishing and revising stories next week. This will include editing for grammar and punctuation, adding more detail, and preparing the stories to be shared or published.